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OUTLINE OF LESSONS 



IN 

ELOCUTION 

OR 

THE ART OF VERBAL, VOCAL AND PANTOMIMIC EXPRESSION 

as applied to the 

INTERPRETATION OF THE BEST LITERATURE, 

Including Exercises for the training of the 

MIND AND SOUL, 

BODY, $ 

VOICE. 



/ 



Prepared by 

Helen M. Cole, Graduate of the Boston School of Expression 

and 

Instructor in Elocution, 

Maryland State Normal School, 

Baltimore. 



* 






SUBJECTS FOR THOUGHT. 



i. — What part of man endures forever? 

2. — What should be the aim of all education — of life itself? 

3. — What helps toward character-building can we avail ourselves of? 

4. — Study nature and mankind: fine specimens of architecture, sculpture, 
painting, music, oratory, literature and expression of literature, by means of 
voice and body — namelv — elocution. 






£ 7 4 

3 
OUR AIM. 

The one thing in the world, of value, is the active soul. 

—Emerson. 

Referring to the soul, Addison says : 

"The stars shall fade away, the sun himself 
Grow dim with age, and Nature sink in years ; 
But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, 
Unhurt amid the war of elements, 
The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds." 

Nothing endures but personal qualities. 

— Walt Whitman. 

Should not, then, the aim of all education— of life itself— be the develop- 
ment of that part of man which endures, the mental, moral and spiritual or emotional 
sides of his nature,— in short, the building of character ? 

Helps to Character=Building. 

I. — Faith, Hope, Love, these three, but the greatest of these is Love. 

—St. Paul. 

For life, with all it yields of joy and woe, and hope and fear, 

Is just our chance o' the prize of learning love, 

How love might be, hath been indeed, and is ; 

And that we hold thenceforth to the uttermost 

Such prize, despite the envy of the world, 

And having gained truth, keep truth : that is all. 

— Browning. 

There is no good of life but love 
What else looks good is some shade 
Flung from love, love gilds it 
Gives it worth. 

For the loving worm within its clod 

Were diviner than a loveless god, amid his worlds. 

Still I mind how love repaired all ill 
Cured wrong — soothed grief. 

— Ibid. 



II.— Study of various branches, such as History, Mathematics, The Natural 
Sciences, The Fine Arts, viz : 

Architecture, 

Painting, 

Sculpture, 

Music, 

Literature, 

Oratory, 

Elocution. 

(Here let the teacher dwell, at length, upon the way in which each of these 
various studies may be a help toward developing the different sides of man's 
character.) 

We build character so that w T e may be useful to our fellow-men. Happiness to 
ourselves follows as a natural consequence. 

If character is all that endures, why educate the body and the voice? 

The body and the voice are the means by which we reveal the character to others ; 
the instruments of the soul ; the channels through which the spirit flows out ; the 
agents of expression. 



ELOCUTION. 



Elocution, to be of use, should be the expression, by means of the voice 
and body, of the Best Literature. 



In -practical life we need to educate the body and the voice so that we may 
better reveal our thoughts and feelings to others. 

In the art of Elocution we educate the body and voice so that we may reveal 
the thoughts and feelings of someone else, thoughts and feelings which, we have 
been able, by the training of the mind and heart, to assimilate and make our own. 

A TRUE CONCEPTION OF ELOCUTION. 



We must first get a true conception of what the art of Elocution is, and that 
we may do this, we must learn to recognize what is truly artistic in any form. 

As suggested under "Subjects for Thought," study nature and mankind; try 
to live and cultivate yourself in such a way, that you may love and appreciate 
them. 

Study the architecture of all the fine buildings, which you can find in Balti- 
more and in other cities or towns. The First Presbyterian Church on Madison 
St., Baltimore, is considered one of the finest specimens of Gothic architecture in 
this country. Study photographs and engravings of famous buildings. 

Study statuary, or plaster casts and photographs of fine statuary, if you can- 
not see the originals. At the Peabody Institute in Baltimore you will find a 
good collection of casts, and some very beautiful original marbles ; Rhinehart's 
"Clytie," for example. 

Study paintings by great artists. The finest collection of paintings owned 
by any individual in the country is that of Mr. Walters of Baltimore, who opens 
to the public his beautiful gallery every spring. There are some good paintings 
at the Peabody Institute. Study photographs and engravings of famous paintings. 



Listen to all the high class music that you can. Baltimore affords fine 
musical advantages. At the "Peabody Recitals" on Friday afternoons, you will 
hear artistic music. Notice that all the music we study and sing here at the 
Normal School is written by good composers. 

Read the prose and poetry of our best writers. 

If you ever attend the theatre, never allow yourself to listen to cheap, 
trashy plays, and inartistic actors and actresses, but hear only those plays which 
innocently amuse or instruct and elevate. 

Listen to good preachers and orators. Hear, if possible, a good elocutionist. 

In short search for (i the good, the true, and the beautiful" wherever you can, 
and you will gradually learn to admire and love what is truly artistic. 

If you are not sure what is good, and worthy of study, ask someone in 
whom you have confidence in this regard, for advice. 

In studying these various Fine Arts you will find that the fundamental 
principles underlying all of them, are the same, that there are certain qualities 
which are common to a fine and truly artistic architectural design, statue, painting, 
musical composition, poem or prose writing, and a truly artistic reading, recitation or 
acting of fine literature. 

Some of the qualities which you can discover are Truth, Simplicity, Directness, 
Purity, Suggestiveness, (the quality which rouses the imagination,) Repose, (the qual- 
ity which suggests something strong and unmoved below the surface,) and, most 
comprehensive of all, Unity and Harmony. 

(Here the teacher must help the pupils by illustration to understand the 
meaning of these qualities and to discover them in various works of art. She 
should provide herself with photographs to use in the class-room, and should 
take the pupils to visit art galleries if possible.) 

You will notice that artists of various kinds, architects, sculptors, painters, 
musicians, poets, all make use of these same terms when referring to their 
works. 



Elocution, then, if it be worthy of its rightful place as one of the Fine 
Arts, must possess these fundamental qualities common to the others. 

A truly great painter or sculptor reveals to us beauties of Nature or of the 
hitman face, which he himself sees, but which others have not discovered, or, at least, 
have not expressed. 

The great musical composer gives us new and original combinations of 
the sounds of the scale which inspire us. 

The truly great writer gives us ideas which awaken elevating thoughts 
and emotions. 

We speak of the musical composer as an artist. The singer or player may be 
an artist as well, for he can reveal the beauties of some^we musical composition, and 
his manner of revealing them may be characterized by the same qualities that make 
the composition itself artistic. So it is in the art of Elocution. The reader, if she 
be an artist, will reveal the beauties of some fine literary composition, and the 
highest and best criticism, will be, not "What a sweet voice ! How pretty she is ! 
What graceful gestures! How well she gets that bird note ! What a "melting 
moan !" but rather, "How truthful, simple and suggestive is her interpretation of the 
author !" or, "I didn't know before that there were such beauties in such a writer !'> 
A grand rendering of "Richard III" was once being given by a distinguished 
actor, and during the performance, the following remarks of one of the listeners 
were overheard. "What a wonderful writer Shakspeare was ! What an insight 
into character he had !" Could any criticism upon the actor have been higher ! 

But why does the student or lover of good literature need to have it inter- 
preted to him, why can he not get the spirit of the author by his own silent perusal 
of a poem? There is, we admit, much in the realm of good literature to which 
no additional charm would be given by reading it aloud, but there are many 
poems and pieces of fine prose, the real spirit of which the writer cannot express by 
mere words, and it is here that the elocutionist finds his province. The tones of the 
speaking voice, if in a normal condition, are musical and capable by their tone- 
color, modulation, and force, of expressing various emotions. The body also is ca- 
pable of portraying the feeling within. So the reader may by his tones and 
bodily expression, particularly that of his face, reveal the varied emotions which 
the mere words only faintly suggest. Words are inadequate expressions of the author's 
real spirit. 

The true artist always selects a subject worthy of artistie treatment. The painter 
and poet, for example, make a life-long study of nature and mankind, and if 



8 

they are of the class of artists whose works are to live, they will show us the 
best types of man and nature, using, perhaps, the lower and more common forms 
merely for contrast. 

So must the true Elocutionist select good literature as the basis, or 
♦'subject," of his artistic treatment. 

By illustrations from the other Fine Arts, let teacher draw from pupil that, 
in common with them, Elocution consists of 

IMPRESSION and EXPRESSION, 

that the correct 

Impression requires Mind and Soul Training. 

that the correct 

Expression requires Body and Voice Training. 



In closing our study of "A True Conception of Elocution," let us fix this 
principle distinctly in our minds, namely : 

Beware of Imitating Another's Style. 

Madame De Stael said : 

"Nature, who has made no two leaves to resemble each other, has endowed 
our souls with a still greater diversity; and imitation, then, is a kind of death, since it 
robs each of its individual existence." 

We have the right, and should, of course, endeavor to imitate the funda- 
mental and universal qualities which all good readers possess, such as "simplici- 
ty," " repose," " suggestiveness," etc., just as in life we may imitate the abstract 
virtues of some one else— "truth," for example — without being at all like that 
person ; but the manner and characteristics which are peculiar to an individual, and 
which, by nature belong to him, we should never try to copy. 

The teacher of Elocution should not say, "Now listen to me, and read it 
just as I do." She should help the pupil to reach his own ideal, not hers. Long- 
fellow suggests, that we study ourselves, and "Note well 

Wherein kind Nature meant us to excel." 

The aim of the succeeding exercises in Mental, Physical, and Vocal Train- 
ing, is to remove obstructions, so that "Nature may have her perfect work," and 
after having accomplished this, being based on natural principles, they will aid 
Nature in developing along her own lines. By this means, the student will not, 
it is to be hoped, become a machine — a phonograph, as it were — but an individual, 
capable of influencing others. 



MIND AND SOUL 

OR 

"PSYCHIC" TRAINING 



A healthy body is good, but a soul in right health is the blessedest thing 

this earth receives of Heaven. 

— Carlyle. 

For of the soul, the body form doth take. 

— Spencer. 
'Tis the mind that makes the body rich. 

— Shakspeare. 

Every right action and true thought sets the seal of beauty on person and face. 

— Ruskin. 

Our bodies may be strong, healthy, well-developed and graceful, and 
capable of expressing thought and emotion, yet if there is no thought and emotion 
to reveal, the well-trained body is of no use. 

If we make the training of our bodies an end, rather than a means, we put 
ourselves on a plane with the lower animals. John L. Sullivan was pronounced 
physically perfect by Dr. Sargent of Harvard, but who would not prefer as a com- 
panion, a fine intelligent horse, to this vanquished pugilist? The body should be 
trained to be the obedient servant of the soul. 

We must work from within, outward. 

The cause of nearly all faults in Elocution may be traced to a wrong action of 
the mind. 

FIRST STEP. 

We have said before that the reader, if his reading is to be of the most 
use, must reveal the beauties of fine literature. But how may he judge whether or 
not a piece of literature is fine? This leads us to the first step in Psychic Train- 
ing, viz : 

Cultivation of Taste. 

As suggested under "A True Conception of Elocution," you must, by the 
study of nature, mankind, and great works of art, learn to recognize the quali- 
ties which make anything truly artistic. 



A life may possess these same qualities— Truth, Simplicity, Purity, Repose, 
Unity, Harmony and Variety — so we may say that, after all, 

The Art of Living, or Character=building, is the Greatest of the Fine 
Arts. 

Now if we cultivate in our own lives, these artistic qualtities, our souls will re- 
spond to similar qualities in fine prose and poetry, and compel us to select good 
literature,— for good literature, is artistic literature. 

Robert Southey has given us a 

Test of a Bad Book. 

Would you know whether the tendency of a book is good or evil, examine 
in what state of mind you lay it down. Has it induced you to suspect that what 
you have been accustomed to think unlawful, may, after all, be innocent, and 
that that may be harmless which you have hitherto been taught to think dan- 
gerous ? Has it tended to make you dissatisfied and impatient under control of 
others, and dispose you to relax in that self-government without which both the 
laws of God and man tell us there can be no virtue,— and consequently no hap- 
piness? Has it attempted to abate your admiration and reverence for what is 
good and great, and to diminish in you the love of your country and your fellow- 
creatures ? 

Has it addressed itself to your pride, your vanity, your selfishness, or any 
other of your evil propensities? Has it defiled the imagination with what is 
loathsome, and shocked the heart with what is monstrous ? Has it disturbed the 
sense of right and wrong which the Creator has implanted in the human soul ? 
If so,— if you are conscious of all or any of these effects,— or if, having escaped 
from all, you have felt that such were the effects it was intended to produce, 
throw the book into the fire, whatever name it may bear in the title page ! 
Throw it in the fire, young man, though it be the gift of a friend ! — young lady, 
away with the whole set, though it should be the prominent furniture of a rose- 
wood book case ! 

SECOND STEP. 

After having made a selection of literature which is truly worthy of express- 
ion, and knowing that the correct expression depends upon a correct impression of the 
selection, our next care is to educate the faculties of the mind and the emotions 
by which the impression is received. 

Here let teacher, by illustration, draw from pupil that Attention, Concentra- 
tion, Imagination, Logic, and Sympathy are needed. 



In order to develop these faculties we need special exercises which we 
will call 

Psychic Gymnastics. 



I. 
Attention. 

The teacher after talking upon the necessity of attention as the fundamen- 
tal step in mental drill, gives 
Exercise 

1.— Hold before pupils a simple object and ask each to notice it. 2. — Re- 
peat, using different objects, changing quickly from one to another. 3. — Mention 
or point to objects in room and ask for a simple glance at each. 4.— Make a 
single movement of the body and ask pupils to take note of it. 5. — Sing or play 
a single tone, asking pupils to listen. 6. — Repeat, using different and disconnec- 
ted sounds aud single words. 7. — Invent similar exercises of your own, illustra- 
ting that attention is the simplest form of mental activity. 

II. 
Concentration. 

Concentration is merely attention prolonged. 
Exercise 1. 

Repeat exercises under "Attention" with this additional suggestion; that 
pupils shall prolong their attention uninterruptedly upon an object, sound or move- 
ment for several seconds. Gradually increase the time to several minutes. 

Exercise 2. 

Ask pupils to observe lack of the power of concentration in themselves 
and other people ; as, for example, the tendency of many persons in an audience 
to turn their attention from the speaker or subject before them, and take notice 
of some little unimportant thing that happens, gaze inanely at somebody who 
may come into the room, or stare curiously at some one going out. 

Let teacher read aloud a selection, having arranged beforehand for some 
interruption to occur, such as the dropping of a book, the coming in and going- 
out of some of the pupils, the raising of a window, and various other interrup- 
tions which one's ingenuity may suggest. 

Then ask pupils to write or express orally the substance of what has been 
read. Ask how many times during the reading each pupil felt his attention drawn 
from the selection. 



Exercise 3. 

Show pupils how they may make each recitation, and the study of all their 
lessons, exercises in "Concentration." 

III. 



Imagination. 

Imagination rules the world. 



— Napoleon. 



The faculty of the imagination is the great spring of human activity and the 
principal source of human improvement. As it delights in presenting to the 
mind scenes and characters more perfect than those which we are acquainted 
with, it prevents us from ever being completely satisfied with our present condi- 
tion, or with our past attainments, and engages us continually in the pursuit of 
some untried enjoyment, or of some ideal excellence. Hence the ardor of the 
selfish to better their fortunes, and to add to their personal accomplishments ; 
and hence the zeal of the patriot and the philosopher to advance the virtue and 
the happiness of the human race. Destroy this faculty, and the condition of 

man will become as stationary as that of brutes. 

— Dugald Stewart. 

To those who see only with their eyes, the distant is always indistinct and 
little, becoming less and less as it recedes, till utterly lost ; but to the imagination, 
which thus reverses the perspective of the senses, the far off is great and impos- 
ing, the magnitude increasing with the distance. 

— Mrs. Jameson. 

Exercise 1. 

1. Mention names of single objects which you are sure pupils have seen > 
for example : "The house where you live — your former teacher — a maple tree — 
your best hat, etc., etc." 

2. Ask pupils to make mental pictures of certain sounds which they have 
heard — "Your mother's voice — a violin tone — the different intervals of the scale, 
etc." 

3. Ask pupils to recall certain actions which they have seen — "A class 
giving close attention — your minister walking into his pulpit — your putting 
money in the contribution box, etc." 

4. Mention certain emotions such as love, fear, indignation, etc. Ask 
pupils to re-feel them. 

When we recall to mind images of objects or actions which we have seen, 



■5 

sounds which we have heard, emotions which we have felt, or have seen exhibit- 
ed before, we use what is termed the Reproductive, Representative or Realistic 
Imagination,— these three terms meaning the same thing. 
Exercise 2. 

1. Mention names of single objects which pupils have not seen — "Mt. 
Blanc— the river Nile — the Chinese emperor— Martin Luther— a house you would 
like to live in which you have never seen, an ' air castle '— a picture of yourself, 
spiritually and physically as you would like to be, etc." 

2. Make a mental picture of the sound of a "Chinese band — the voice of 
4 Spartacus to the Gladiators' — of ' Baby Esther ' crying— the song of the Eng- 
lish lark — make a combination of sounds of scale, one you have never heard, 

etc." 

3. Make mental pictures of certain actions you have never seen — "Cornwal- 
lis surrendering to Geo. Washington— St. Paul standing on Mars Hill talking to 
the people — Phillips Brooks helping to her home an old apple-woman — a beauti- 
ful woodland scene with singing-birds and a party of frolicing children— the 
coming home of the prodigal son— you, yourself, doing some deed that might 
help the world." Ask pupils to suggest to class imaginary scenes of their own 
invention. 

4. Ask pupil to feel as he thinks someone else would feel — "Feel that you are 
a poor hungry child— a jolly happy school-boy— the queen of England — an indig- 
nant young lady— a loving friend — different characters in books you have read, 
etc., etc." 

Much time should be spent over this last exercise, making use of many and 
varied illustrations. 

Draw from pupil the fact that in order to create these pictures of objects, 
which he has never seen, heard or felt before, he merely makes new combinations 
of pictures or parts of pictures of objects which he has actually seen, heard or felt. 

In the exercises above, we use the Creative, Constructive, or Idealistic 
Imagination. 

Enneking, the artist, once said, "The ideal is the choicest expression of the real." 

We do not realize, until we pause to think of it, how constantly the imag- 
ination is brought into play. Could, for example, the study of History be of 
service, if we could not imagine the events and characters depicted ? 

Let teacher here illustrate that the imagination is the foundation =stone 
of each and all of the Fine Arts. 



Ask pupils to show how almost every branch of study involves the use of 
the imagination. 

It can be readily seen, that the pleasure and benefit which we derive from 
literature, depends almost entirely upon the power to use the imagination, and as 
for elocution, one might as well think of building a house with only a chimney- 
top, as to attempt to interpret literature without using the "foundation stone'* 
of the imagination. 

Illustrate by following- 
Exercise 3. 

Read selections containing vivid pictures and ask pupil to test himself 
and see if he is able to reproduce the objects, sounds, or emotions, in his own brain. 

For example : 

"The rippling water with its drowsy tone, 

The tall elms, towering in their stately pride, 
And— sorrow's type — the willow, sad and lone, 
Kissing in graceful woe the murmuring tide, 
The gray church tower ; and dimly seen beyond, 

The faint hills gilded by the parting sun ; 
All were the same and seemed with greeting fond 
To welcome me, as they of old had done." 
Many poems of Longfellow and Whittier, such as "The Building of the 
Ship," "Maud Muller," "Among the Hills" and "Snow bound"— Tennyson's 
"Dora," Irving's "Sketches," as well as many others, might here be used to ad 

vantage. 

IV. 

Logical Faculty. 

By illustration, let teacher draw from pupil that, in reading a selection, 
not only is it necessary to "see the pictures" vividly, but we must see them in 
their proper proportion to one another, and realize their relationship to the main 
idea. In other words, we must keep in mind the artistic qualities, Unity and 
Harmony. In doing this we bring into use the logical or reasoning power— in plain 
terms, our "common-sense". 

Would it not be absurd for a painter to arrange all his objects in a straight 
row in the fore-ground of his picture, having made them all of the same height 
and color ? Not more absurd is it for a reader to make all his words in the same 
tone, of the same degree of force, and with the same length of time between 
each. Yet how much of this "monotonous" reading do we hear ? Our word pictures 



must have "light and shade" and ''perspective, as well as the pictures of the 
painter. 

The use of the logical faculty will enable us to bring out in our reading the 
correct emphasis, for emphasis is our way of showing the relative importance of 
the ideas. 
Exercise I. 

Give extracts with short sentences — and let pupils give the reason why cer- 
tain words need to be made more prominent than others. For example take the 
following extract from Beecher, 

"It is not work that kills men ; it is worry. Work is healthy ; you can 
hardly put more upon a man than he can bear. Worry is rust upon the blade. 
It is not the revolution that destroys the machinery, but the friction." 

The speech of Bassanio to Portia regarding the ring, (Act V, Scene I) is an 
excellent extract for practice. 

After deciding by reasoning which are the correct words to emphasize, try 
to discover the means by which the proper emphasis may be produced. We find 
the following : 

i. By inflection. See exercises under "Inflections," in "Vocal Training 1 , 
notes, page 14. 

Remember that in giving a downward inflection, the emphatic word should begin on a 
little higher pitch than that of the previous word. 

2. By dwelling longer on the emphatic word. Illustrate. 

3. Pausing before or after a word, is often a very good means of making 
it emphatic. If we will only stop long enough to see and feel vividly what we are 
reading, the pauses will follow as a natural consequence, and our reading will be 
much more impressive. 

Read for example, "Faith, Hope, Love, these three, but the greatest 
of these is Love." Stop before "Love" and "is Love" and try to realize the 
meaning of the word before you say it. Note the effect of the pause. 
Exercise 2. 

Take for example the selection under "Imagination" beginning "The rip- 
pling water etc." Read it, and you will notice that certain phrases do not present 
so important pictures or ideas, as others. Therefore we subordinate those of les- 
ser importance to the leading ones. We may do this by reading them on a lower 
pitch, or sometimes with a quicker rate of utterance. 

Subordination of certain words and phrases is an absolute essential to good 
reading. Much practice should be given, illustrating this point. 



Phrasing. 

Accustom yourself to "look ahead" in reading, so that you may bring out 
ideas and words. Get an entire phrase in your mind, before trying to express it. 
This will correct "hesitation" in reading. 



Pausing. 

Learn to realize the value of pausing after phrases that express separate 
ideas. 

This gives your hearers time to receive an impression of what you have 
already expressed and gives yourself time to fix in your own mind the next 
idea. Illustrate. 

Do not be governed by punctuation marks, in pausing. Often times it 
is necessary to pause in a word where there is not even a comma. Punctuation 
marks aid us somewhat, of course, hut we must not regulate our pausing by them. 

Illustrate. 

V. 

Sympathy. 

We have seen that a vivid imagination and an active logical faculty are neces- 
sory to the art of interpreting literature, but it is quite possible for these two 
requirements to be present, and, at the same time, the reading may be cold and 
expressionless. So, in order to make our reading not only intelligible, but really 
enjoyable, and truly expressive, we must have the power to put ourselves in the 
author's place and get into sympathy with the scenes and characters he is describing. 
Just as we share with our real friends their joys and sorrows, so must we sympathize 
with the people of our imagination, learn to forget ourselves, and live, for the time be- 
ing, in another atmosphere. 
Exercise i. 

Love and Unselfishness are at the root of sympathy. Every influence 
that tends to awaken in us a love for nature and our fellowmen, makes us sym- 
pathetic. This love will make us forgetful of self, and thus it will be easier 
to allow the spirit of the author or the character we wish to reveal, to perme- 
ate us. 
Exercise 2. 

Give at first, short joyous selections, containing simple, vivid pictures, and 
help pupils to admire and enjoy them thoroughly, then with deep full breath 
and open tone, to speak them in a bright, spontaneous manner. 



Spontaneity is the first step in the manner of delivery. 
The following are good examples for practice. 

Give us, O give us the man who sings at his work ! He will do more in the 
same time, — he will do it better, — he will persevere longer. One is scarcely sen- 
sible of fatigue whilst he marches to music. The very stars are said to make 
harmony as they revolve in their spheres. Wondrous is the strength of cheer- 
fulness, altogether past calculation its powers of endurance. Efforts, to be per- 
manently useful, must be uniformly joyous, a spirit all sunshine, graceful from 

very gladness, beautiful, because bright. 

— CarlyU. 

The wind, one morning, sprang up from sleep, 
Saying, "Now for a frolic ! now for a leap ! 
Now for a mad-cap galloping chase ! 
I'll make a commotion in every place ! " 

— Anon. 

A song, oh a song for the merry May ! 
The cows in the meadow, the lambs at play, 
A chorus of birds in the maple-tree, 
And a world in blossom for you and me. 

— Anon. 

You must wake and call me early, call me early, mother dear ; 
To-morrow'll be the happiest day of all the glad New Year ; 
Of all the glad New Year, mother, the maddest, merriest day ; — 
For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May. 

— Tennyson. 

"Waken, lords and ladies gay, 
On the mountain dawns the day ; 
All the jolly chase is here 
With hawk and horse and hunting-spear ; 
Hounds are in their couples yelling, 
Hawks are whistling, horns are knelling, 
Merrily, merrily mingle they, 
Waken, lords and ladies gay." 

— Scott. 



IO 

The Blue Bird. 

I know the song that the blue bird is singing 
Out in the apple-tree where he is swinging, 
Brave little fellow ! the skies may be dreary, — 
Nothing cares he while his heart is so cheery. 

Hark I how the music leaps out from his throat ! 
Hark ! was there ever so merry a note ? 
Listen awhile, and you'll hear what he's saying 
Up in the apple-tree, swinging and swaying. 

"Dear little blossoms down under the snow, 
You must be weary of winter, I know ; 
Hark while I sing you a message of cheer ! 
Summer is coming, and spring-time is here !" 

"Little white snow-drop ! I pray you arise ; 
Bright yellow crocus ! come, open you eyes ; 
Sweet little violets, hid from the cold, 
Put on your mantles of purple and gold ; 
Daffodils ! daffodils ! say do you hear? — 
Summer is coming, and spring-time is here ! " 

— Emily Huntington Miller. 

Ask pupils for similar selections of their own choosing. 

Exercise 3. 

Practice short selections expressive of various emotions. Let pupil first 
decide what he thinks is the prevailing emotion in the selection, before reading 
it. Breathe deeply, control the breath, open the throat, and send the tones for- 
ward, making them rich and mellow. 



The year's at the spring 
And day's at the morn 
God's in his heaven, 
All's right with the world. 

— Browning' 1 s Pippa Passes. 



II 

Come to me ye children, 
For I hear you at your play, 
And the questions that perplexed me 
Have vanished quite away. 

Ye are better than all the ballads 
That ever were sung or said, 
For ye are the living poems 
And all the rest are dead. 

— Longfellow. 

Over my heart in the years that have flown, 
No love like mother's love ever has shown ; 
No other worship abides and endures, 
Faithful, unselfish, and patient, like yours. 

— Elizabeth A. Allen. 

"For we loved with a love that was more than love 
I and my Anabel Lee." 

— Poe. 

The love thrilling wood birds are wild with delight, 
Like arrows, loud whistling, the swallows flit by, 

The rapturous lark as he sours out of sight, 
Sends a flood of rich melody down from the sky. 

Read selections under "Our Aim." 

In the reading of sad selections, there is a great tendency to whine and to 
try to make the voice tremble. This makes the reading weak and ridiculous. 
These faults can be overcome by feeling the emotion deeply and by control of breath. 

If anything trembles, let it be the diaphragm ; the voice will take care of 
itself. If there is any crying to be done, let your hearers cry, rather than yourself. 

Slowly and sadly we laid him down, 

From the field of his fame fresh and gory ; 
We carved not a line, we raised not a st one, 

But we left him alone in his glory. 

— Wolfe. 



L2 

Poor child ! the prayer begun in faith, 

Grew to a low dispairing cry 

Of utter misery : "Let me die ! 
Oh, take me from the scornful eyes, 

And hide me where the cruel speech 

And mocking finger may not reach ! 

— Whittier. 

The tide went out, 
And a life, as sweet as a life may be, 
Drifting away to the unknown sea, 
Went out with the tide. 

— Anon. 
Contrast of Emotions. 

The "Old, Old Song." 

When all the world is young, lad, and all the trees are green ; 
And every goose a swan, lad, and every lass a queen ; 
Then hey for boot and horse, lad, and round the world away ; 
Young blood must have its course, lad, and every dog his day. 

When all the world is old, lad, and all the trees are brown ; 
And all the sport is stale, lad, and all the wheels run down ; 
Creep home and take your place there, the spent and maimed among ; 
God grant you find one face there, you loved when all was young. 

— Charles Kingsley. 

Ah, brother ! only I and thou 

Are left of all that circle now, — 

Yet Love will dream and Faith will trust — 

Since He who knows our need is just — 

That somehow, somewhere, meet we must. 

Alas, for him, who never sees 

The stars shine through his cypress trees ! 

Who, hopeless, lays his head away, 

Nor looks to see the breaking day, 

Across the mournful marble play ! 

Who hath not learned, in hours of faith r 

The truth to flesh and sense unknown, 

That Life is ever lord of Death, 

And Love can never lose its own ! 

— Whittier. 



*3 

Exercise 4. 

Ask pupils to find short extracts, illustrating all varities of emotion ; also 
different phases of the same emotion, for example : love of country, of home, of 
parents, of children, of animals, etc.— joy in Nature, of youth, of welcome, of vic- 
tory, etc.— fear of man, of the elements, of conscience, etc. 

In closing the notes on Pyschic Training, let us remember that nearly all our 
faults can be traced to a mind and soul disordered or inactive : and that we must 

Work from Within, Outward. 



PHYSICAL TRAINING. 



Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? 

—St. Paul. 



In the elder days of Art, 

Builders wrought with greatest care 
Each minute and unseen part, 

For the gods see everywhere. 

Let us do our work as well, 

Both the unseen and the seen, 
Make the house where gods may dwell, 

Beautiful, entire, and clean. 

— Longfellow. 

For the soul is not the body, 

And the breath is not the flute, 
Both together make the music — 

Either marred, and all is mute. 

— Browning. 

We have said before that we train the body as a servant of the soul. 
Everybody must admit that a strong, healthy, well-developed and graceful 
body is something to be desired. In what way may this result be brought about ? 

FIRST STEP. 

A knowledge of, and obedience to, the general laws of physiology and hy- 
giene in regard to good food, good air, and cleanliness. The following is an 
outline of a lecture given to the class by the teacher of physiology : 

Good Food, Good Air, Cleanliness. 
Good Food. 

f To build up r Sugar or starches, as potatoes. 

Food is ! or repair waste. Classes of I Albuminoids, or lean meat, 

necessary j To warm body. Food : ] Fats or Oils, as butter. 

[ To strengthen body. [ Minerals, as salt. 

Good Air. 

Decomposition of broken-down cells, produces carbonic acid gas which is 
poisonous to the blood — Oxygen exists in pure air — Carbonic Acid Gas passes 



from blood to the lungs and is exhaled— Oxygen is inhaled and passes from blood 
into lungs, taking place of carbonic acid gas— Impure air lacks oxygen ; when 
inhaled it does not displace sufficient quantity of carbonic acid gas, and the blood, 
unpurified, again passes through the body, poisoning it, and rendering body un- 
able to resist attack of disease germs. 

Cleanliness. 

Sebaceous glands produce oil— Perspiratory glands produce perspiration- 
Cuticle is constantly rubbed off in scales— Rancid oil, sour perspiration, decay- 
ing scales, collect on skin and close pores or glands. Waste water of blood car- 
ried off by skin — lungs— kidneys — Closed perspiratory glands double the work of 
lungs and kidneys and weaken them — Closed sebaceous glands cause flesh worms. 

5EC0ND 5TEP. 

Healthful and Artistic Clothing. 

The second and exceedingly important step in physical training is the adoption 
of clothing in which the body can move about with perfect ease and grace. 

It is not necessary to wear a special gymnastic dress, but all dresses should be made 
so as to allow free and unrestricted movements of the body. 

It is an encouraging sign of the times that many of our leading women, 
including some, even, in fashionable society, are taking up the matter of "dress- 
reform" and are adopting a style of dress which is healthful and sensible, and, 
at the same time, artistic and beautiful. 

Is it not astonishing, as well as absurd, for women to think, that, the smaller 
the waist, the more beautiful the figure, when no great artist has ever sculptured 
or painted an ideal figure of a woman with the small waist that we see in 
the French fashion plates, and which many Baltimore girls think so desirable. 
Surely the artists of the world are the best judges of beauty and correct proportion, and 
it is needless to say that those persons who admire the over-slender, wasp -like waist, 
certainly do not understand or, at least, do not appreciate what is truly artistic. 

"Clytie," the wonderful statue by Rinehart, and which, in the opinion of 
some critics, is the most ideal and beautiful statue of a woman in the world, 
measures twenty six inches around the waist and thirty-four about the chest. 

One of the finest articles advocating reform in dress that has ever appeared, 
was published in "The Arena" for September, 1891. This article is entitled 
" Fashion's Slaves" and the subject is so well and exhaustively treated, and the 
physical and moral evils as well as the absurdities of fashionable and incorrect 



dress so clearly set forth, that we refer to it as a substitute for any further notes 
on this Second Step. The article is now published separately in pamphlet form, 
and may be obtained of "The Arena Publishing Co.," Copley Square, Boston. 

Photograph of "Clytie." 



THIRD STEP. 
Physical Exercise. 

The requirements which we have already mentioned are not sufficient for 
the full and proper development of the body. Physical Exercise is the third 
and last step in Physical Training. 

We would speak first of the advantages of out=door exercise, such as 

walking, running, swimming, rowing, cycling, horse-back riding, bass-ball, tennis, etc. Exer- 
cise in the open air not only develops the muscles, but there is a certain exhilara- 
tion which comes from such exercise that indoor exercise does not possess. 

But athletic sports cannot at all times be indulged in, nor do they develop all 
parts of the body harmoniously. 

A systematic series of physical exercises, based on principles of anatomy, physi- 
ology, hygiene and grace, is what is needed. This need is met by the so-called 

Swedish and Delsarte Systems of Physical Training. 

The systems, though radically different, can be practiced side by side, with 
the most beneficial results. 

The Swedish System. 

The Swedish, sometimes called the "Ling," system, is the invention of Dr. 
Ling, a Swede, and, with improvements from time to time, has been in use in 
the schools of Sweden for more than one hundred years. It is interesting to 
note that travelers, on visiting Sweden, are immediately impressed with the erect 
carriage and the unusually fine physical development of the Swedes. 

Dr. Hartwell, formerly of Johns Hopkins University, is, perhaps, consid- 
ered the best authority on physical training of any one in this country. He has 
made a special study of the Swedish, as well as of other systems of gymnastics, 
and has given it his most hearty approval. He is now in Boston, where he super- 
intends the teaching of the Swedish gymnastics in the public schools of that city, 
it being the system above all others, in the opinion of the School Board, best 
adapted to the needs of the pupils. 

Baron Posse, a Swede, and one of the first exponents of the Swedish sys- 
tem of gymnastics in this country, is the author of a valuable manual on the 
subject. A small u Hand-book of School Gymnastics," prepared by him, and 
containing tables of exercises, we use in the Normal School. Baron Posse has, in 



5 

Boston, a large gymnasium, where he is constantly fitting teachers to become 
competent instructors in the system. 

The Swedish system is taught in the Woman's College, and in the Bryn 
Mawr School of Baltimore. 

The Germans also have a systematic course of gymnastics, and there is 
quite a rivalry for supremacy in this country, at present, between the exponents 
of the Swedish and the German systems. 

The Swedish System is thoroughly scientific, being based on a com= 
prehensive knowledge of anatomy, physiology and hygiene, and is designed 
to make pupils strong, well-developed and heahhy, rather than to train athletes or to fur- 
nish "pretty sets" of exercises merely for exhibition. 



The great advantage of the Swedish over other systems of gymnastics is 
that the exercises follow one another according to distinct and sensible rules. There is a 
definite progression, and a scientific reason given for every movement. 

Not only do the exercises follow one another systematically in each day's 
lesson, but from lesson to lesson, and from week to week, the movements progress 
from the very gentlest or simplest, step by step, to the stronger and more compli- 
cated ones. 



For further information regarding the Swedish system of gymnastics, 
and for tables of exercises, consult Posse's " Handbook" before referred to. 



The Delsarte System. 

The Swedish system of educational gymnastics seems incomplete in that it 
does not recognize to a sufficient degree, the element of grace of movement, and 
because there are few exercises that tend to produce a perfectly passive or relaxed 
condition of the body. 

The so-called "Delsarte System" of physical training supplies this lack. 

This system should not properly be called the "Delsarte" system, for the 
celebrated French actor, singer and philosopher, Francois Delsarte, taught a 
series of movements of the body, each one of which served as an expression of a 
thought or an emotion. He made many observations, studying carefully numer- 



6 

ous types of mankind, and contended that there were certain attitudes and ges- 
tures of the body which were universal ; and from these observations, he manufac- 
tured a system, which includes a great deal of deep-sounding philosophy and 
minute directions for gestures based upon it. 

Delsarte has many followers and admirers in this country, who, for the 
most part, impress people as being artificial and without a true appreciation of what 
art really means, for they get so interested and carried away with Delsurte's ideas 
about expression, that many of th.&m forget to cultivate any of their own, and their 
work is apt to lack originality and spontaneity. 

The exercises which we call "Delsarte," it is said, are really the invention 
a favorite pupil of Delsarte, Steele McKaye, of New York, and were made by 
him, to serve as a. preparation of the body for the attitudes and gestures which Del- 
sarte himself arranged. 

These exercises are based on principles of grace and are exceedingly use- 
ful in rendering the body erect, well-poised, and graceful, beside furnishing, as in the 
"relaxing" exercises, a means of quieting the nerves. But beyond these, when we wish 
to proceed to the learning of the Delsarte system of expressive gesture-making, we are 
treading on dangerous ground, and are likely to make "Delsarte machines" of 
our bodies. 

When the body, by means of these gymnastic exercises for mere "prepara- 
tion of body," becomes well-poised, free from stiffness, graceful in movement, 
and capable of "modulation," we make sure that our minds and hearts are 
deeply active, and then we allow our thoughts and emotions to cause respons= 
ive attitudes and gestures of our bodies. 

We must, by the study of people and of pictures and statuary by great artists, 
cultivate our sense of what is truly expressive and artistic in the way of bodily at- 
titudes and gestures, so that we may be able to criticise our own attempts at ges- 
ture. After a clear understanding of artistic principles, and practice in expressing 
our thoughts and emotions through our bodies in a natural and spontaneous man- 
ner, — for our bodies should express as much individuality as our voices — then some 
study of Delsarte's ideas on the subject might be safely indulged in, and, perhaps, 
be of service, for he has touched upon many true principles. Great caution, 
however, should be used in the application of them. 

But the impulse to make gestures must come from within, and the im- 
pression left by a speaker upon his listeners should be that they have hardly real- 
ized that any gestures were being made, for the thought and emotion are what slwuld 



impress the listener, and gestures should be used only for the purpose of making 
the thought and emotion stronger and, consequently, more impressive. The 

gestures should not standout by themselves and be "tacked on," as it were, mere 
ly because they "look pretty." 

Elocutionists, as a rule, and many public speakers, make use of too many 
gestures. Hamlet gave good advice to players, when he said "Saw not the air too 
much with your hand, thus." 



The following exercises are such as are taught at the Boston School of Ex- 
pression. Professor Curry, the principal, received instruction from Mr. Steele 
MacKaye, the pupil of Delsarte before referred to, but his method of teaching 
the advanced exercises is less mechanical than that of his instructor, and he 
soon is to publish a text-book on training. He has published already a fine work 
called "The Province of Expression," which, by competent critics, has been 
pronounced to be of superior merit. 

The exercises, arranged as follows, have been abridged and adapted to 
school use, from notes taken at the School of Expression, by the instructor in 
Elocution at the Normal School. 

The Three Steps in the so-called Delsarte training are as follows: 

I. Poising Exercises. 
II. Relaxing Exercises. 
III. Elemental Movements. 

i. Poising Exercises consist of various forms of balancing the body, and tend to 
make it erect. These exercises also give a person a sense of self-control, and, in 
connection with the relaxing exercises, have a tendency to prevent nervousness. 

2. Relaxing exercises free the muscles and joints from stiffness, and quiet the nerves 
by putting the body in a passive condition. The relaxing exercises give repose of 
manner, because they teach a person how to avoid superfluous movements, by using 
only tliat part of the body wliicli it is necessary to move at one time. 

3. Elemental Movements include an almost infinite variety of graceful attitudes 
and motions of the head, trunk and limbs. These are not intended as gestures 
but they put the body into such a condition, that when one feels that he must make a 
gesture he will unconsciously make it gracefully. 



8 

PROGRAM OF EXERCISES: 

I 
Poising Exercises. 

TEST OF ERECTNESS. 

The ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ball of foot should be in the same vertical line. 
Exercise i. 

Weight over balls of both feet ; feel that the centre of the body is directly over the 
balls — heels slowly rise — imagine that your body is being raised by a string attached 
to the chest which draws you upward— heels slowly down, keeping weight forward. 

[This idea of imagining that you are suspended from the chest is one of the best aids toward 
acquiring a fine erect carriage of the body.] 

Exercise 2. 

Hands on hips — trunk forward bend, head back, looking at ceiling— slowly 
up, pressing hips back — rise high on tip-toes— march, keeping centre of body di- 
rectly over balls of feet, chest up. 

[This is a "Swedish" exercise, but is used at this stage, as a vigorous measure toward keeping 
the abdomen back in its proper place.] 

Exercise 3. 

Poise the body in a circle, toe to toe, toe to heel, heel to heel, heel to toe. 
Repeat. 

Exercise 4. 

Weight over both feet— slowly kneel, with knees nearly together, keeping 
body all the time in a vertical line ; avoid "jerks" — slowly rise. 

In the foregoing poising exercises, both sides of the body act as one and move 
in the same direction, and we call them exercises for "oneness" of poise. In the 
exercises following, the two sides of the body seem to balance about a common centre, 
and move in different directions, yet in perfect harmony with each other. They 
are called exercises for "unity" of poise. 

Exercise 5. 

Wt. on r. ft.— toe of 1. on ankle of r. at back— body slowly rise— raise r. arm 
and sway r. hip out to side, which must be higher than 1.— change feet. 

Exercise 6. 

Stand with r. ft. on extreme edge of stair or platform— relax the entire left 



side of body from shoulder down, let it hang perfectly limp — swing left leg from 
hip like a pendulum, keeping knee straight. The left side must not be higher than 
the right, or "strong" side,— on the contrary, the left side, being relaxed, is neces- 
sarily a little lower than the right. Change sides, making the 1. side the strong one. 

[Both of the foregoing- exercises, besides being used for poising, are a most excellent corrective 
for unevert shoulders and hips, in which case they should be practiced on one side principally, the low 
side being used as the "strong" one.] 

Exercise 7. 

Wt. on r. ft. — make yourself as tall as possible, by stretching up the body 
from the waist and chest, rather than raising the shoulder— relax the entire 1. 
side as in exercise on stair — apply test of erectness to r. side, making sure that 
centre of body is over ball of foot— allow 1. ft. to rest lightly on floor at the side 
of r. ft. with a distance between the toes of about one and a half times the length 
of the foot. Change eet. 

When one stands with weight of body on one foot, with conditions as spe- 
cified above, we say that he is standing in «« Harmonic Poise," because the dif- 
ferent parts of the body are balanced about the centre in perfect harmony. This 
is the speaker's usual position. 

[The foregoing exercise enables one to overcome the very bad and prevalent habit of "standing 
on one foot" improperly, with the abdomen out and a sort of "collapsed" condition of the body. 

It is entirely correct and necessary to stand on one foot Properly, as described in the exercise, 
for if one stood on two feet all the time, he would look very stiff.] 

Exercise 8. 

Stand in " Harmonic Poise" — change wt. very slowly from side to side, 
observing carefully the following conditions : Be sure that you are as tall as possi- 
ble on strong side — relax other side. Start the motion from the centre of tJie body in 
the region of the hips and allow the other parts to follow. Let one side gradu- 
ally relax as the other becomes strong. Imagine that you are made of rubber, 
fastened at the neck and feet, and that you are being "pulled" from side to side, 
by a force attached to the waist. 

[A mastery of this step often requires weeks of patient "practice, but is absolutely essential to 
grace of movement, as it prevents a jerky motion of the body in changing from one position to another. J 

Exercise 9. 

L. f. forw— body slowly forw.— rise— down— back— bend back knee, keeping 
body in vertical line and abdomen in. 

Repeat with other foot, and in diagonal directions. 



IO 

Exercise 10. 

"Rocking Exercise"— 1. foot forw. diagonally— body forw.— 1. knee bend 
— up— back— bend r. knee— repeat several times— change feet. Keep abdomen in, 
and trunk vertical. 

Exercise li. 

Stand in Harmonic Poise, extend free foot, with knee perfectly straight, in 
various directions, tapping rythmically with the toe, twice in each direction. Be 
sure to swing the leg from the hip. 

[This exercise helps to produce a good walk, for in walking the movement should be from the 
hips.] 

Exercise 12. 

Start with wt. on r. ft— poise, so as to describe a "Grecian" pattern with the 
feet. Be sure that the centre of the body leads, keeping chest high. 

In all these poising exercises, keep constantly in mind the imaginary line 
which draws you upward from the chest. Remember, also, to keep the 
abdomen back, and the centre of body over ball of foot. 

II 
Relaxing Exercises. 

11 Devitalizing," " Decomposing," " Liberating " exercises are names given 
by other teachers to what we call the " Relaxing" exercises. 

The relaxing exercises consist in taking the energy out of the muscles and 
joints at will, or rather giving up the body or parts of the body to the force of 
gravity and letting them drop and hang limp and passive. 

Remember that when one part of the body is relaxed, that the other parts are 
strong, firm and full of life. If this principle is observed, the relaxing exercises 
will not make a person "lackadaisical." 

Exercise 1. 

Relax neck. Drop head forward — back — left — right — move head in circle, 
letting it drop of its own weight. 




I-I- 

Exercise 2. 

Relax chest and waist. Drop head to front, next, chest, lastly, waist, let- 
ting arms "dangle" from shoulders— drop to left in same order, taking care that 
head, chest and waist are in the same plane— to right. Be sure that the weight is on 
the side that is not relaxed. 

Exercise 3. 

Relax shoulders. 1. Lift heels in quick succession, letting arms dangle 
and move of their own weight. 2. Hop quickly on toes of both feet, arms as 
before. 3. Turn whole body on ankles, letting arms swing loosely around the 
body like ropes about a mast blown by the wind. 

[This is a very important exercise, for stiffness of the arms is a most common fault.] 

Exercise 4. 

Relax elbows, 1. Raise hands to shoulders in front and let drop heavily. 
2. Let upper arm rest on something and allow lower arm to swing back and forth 
like a pendulum. 

Exercise 5. 

Relax wrists. 1. Extend arms horizontally — move from shoulder quickly 
in various directions, letting hands hang pendent, with energy entirely taken 
from wrists, and the hands will "shake" of their own accord. 2. Lift heels 
quickly with arms extended and allow hands to move as before. 

Be sure not to make the hands move, but let them take care of themselves* 

Exercise 6. 

Relax hips. 1. Repeat exercise previously described of standing on one 
foot on the edge of stair. 2. Stand on toes of one foot, relax free hip, and swing 
free limb around in various directions — repeat on other foot. 
Exercise 7. 

Relax knees. 1. Raise knee by muscles of upper leg, shake upper leg 
from side to side, letting lower leg swing from knee. 2. Make movement of knee 
and lower leg like the "pawing" of a horse. 
Exercise 8. 

Relax ankles. Raise leg and move quickly, letting foot shake just as 
hand does when relaxing wrist. 
Exercise 0. . 

Relax fingers. Shake vigorously the palms of the hands, allowing fingers 
to move of their own weight. Shake until the fingers feel as heavy as lead. 



Exercise 10. 

Relax fingers, wrist, elbow and shoulder in quick succession. Raise 
arm high above head, take energy from fingers, then wrist, elbow, shoulder, and 
arm will fall heavily to side. 
Exercise u. 

Relax all parts of body in quick succession— in other words, "faint." 
Relax the brain first, and try to feel "sleepy" — drop on one knee and fall 
over to opposite side striking hip on floor, then shoulder, lastly, head, flinging 
out the arms. All these different movements should blend together in very 
rapid succession. When you rise, lift head first, then shoulder, hip, knee, etc. 

[If j'ou are tired and nervous, nothing will rest you more than the above exercise. You will 
find that if you perfectly relax the body, that you can fall on a hard floor without hurting yourself.] 

Suggestions. 

In all the relaxing exercises for the arms and legs, be sure that the c7iest 
is high and firm. 

At night, if you find difficulty in going to sleep, simply relax all your 
muscles and joints. 

If you begin to feel very nervous, breathe deeply at the waist, poise 
your head, and relax your arms. 

If you begin to get angry, relax your body. 



After the body is made erect and well balanced by means of the "Poising 
Exercises,'' and rendered free from stiffness by the "Relaxing Exercises," then 
it is in a condition to take the 

III 

Elemental Movements. 

The following movements are called "elemental" because they serve as 
the foundation of the preparation of the body for graceful gestures and move- 
ments, but they are not intended to be used as gestures, and great care 
should be taken is practicing them to regard them as physical exercise 
merely, or they will degenerate into affected "poses" and produce a silly 
semiconsciousness on the part of the pupil. 



*3 

The Elemental Movements are based on definite 
Principles of Grace. 

i. Folding movements must be made from surface to centre : unfolding move- 
ments, from centre to surface. 

2. In movements of the hand and arm, the forearm and wrist must lead the 
hand. 

3. In changing from one position of the arm and hand to another, the tip 
of the middle finger must be used as a pivot. 

4. When two or more parts of the body are moved at the same time, as a 
rule, they should move in opposite directions about a common centre. For example, 
the head should "go down" as the arm "goes up" : in standing poised on one toe 
with the arm over the "strong" side raised, and extended forward, the position 
is more graceful, if the other arm is extended back : in expanding the hand, the 
thumb should move in opposition to the fingers. Artists of all kinds make 
much use of this " Law of Opposition " or " Contrast." 

[Here let teacher ask pupils to discover this law in specimens of the various Fine Arts.] 

5. The different movements of the body must blend smoothly, so that it is 
hardly perceptible where one movement begins and the other ends. 

6. Superfluous movements of the body should be avoided. For example, the 
eyebrows should not be raised meaninglessly in talking or reading: the body 
should not be swayed and twisted about without sufficient cause : the hands and 
fingers should be relaxed and quiet when not necessarily employed. 

One of the chief objects of the " Delsarte" training is to give one the 
power to move at will, one muscle, or set of muscles, independently of 
others. "Differentiation" the process is called. Afterwards the different 
muscles may be trained to work together in harmony. 

7. The poise of the body should be constantly preserved. 
Exercise 1. 

Elemental movements of the head. Erect — bowed — lifted — advanced 
(slightly) — drawn back— inclined —pivoted— hung forward — hung back. Be sure 
not to mix the movements — for example : do not pivot and incline the head at the 
same time. 
Exercise 2. 

Elemental movements of trunk. Bend or "fold" head, chest, waist, in suc- 
cession to the front— back— left— right— diagonally. In imfolding, reverse the 
order, beginning with waist. 



14- 

Exercise 3. 

Elemental movements of arms and hands. Be sure, first of all, that shoulders, 
elbows and vyrists are perfectly relaxed. 

1. L. arm slowly raise directly in front, elbow not bent, band pendent— 
slowly down— pivoting on tip of middle finger. The wrist and forearm must 
lead the movement. Repeat with arm extended to left — diagonally. Same 
with r. arm — with both. 

2. Both arms raise to front, hands pendent and nearly touching— raise 
high over head— separate down to side. 

3 L. a. up in front — wrist turn out to 1. — move to 1. — pivot— move back 
to front. Same with r. arm — with both. 

4- Repeat last movement with arms high over head. 

5. Hands at side — turn wrists until palms face back— raise high at back of 
head— pivot— down to side. 

6. L. a. up to front— raise hand even with wrist— wrist lead out to 1. palm 
down — pivot with sidewise movement of wrist— back to front. Repeat several 
times, moving on higher plane each time, end by palm facing out and coming 
down to side. Same with r. arm — with both. 

7. Use " Indian Club " movements, applying principles of grace, viz : 

a. L. hand pendent in front of chest— down— wrist turn — out to side — arm 
up, hand pendent — back of head, wrist turning — in front of face. Repeat with 
r. a. and with both, ending with "waving" at side, coming to rest horizontally. 

b. From last position described, let r. a. descend to side, then move 1. a. 
down — wrist turn — up in front — turn wrist in toward ear — hand out to side, palm 
facing out. 

Repeat with r. a. and both — end high over head. 

8. Invent movements of the hands and arms. It is possible to get an 
infinite variety, if you keep in mind the principle of pivoting on the tip of the 
middle finger. 



In the movements just described, the hands hang pendent with no " will" in 
them. We now practice exercises in which the hand is full of activity. 

1. Relax the fingers by shaking the hands vigorously, and also by shaking 
each finger of one hand with the other hand. 

a. Put fingers and thumb together, and slowly move them apart, trying 
to start the motion from the centre of the palm, allowing the movement to " creep 



15- 

out" as it were, to the tips of the fingers. When the hand is fully ex- 

panded, the tip of the thumb should be opposite the tip of the middle finger and the 
tips of the little finger, forefinger and thumb should form an equilateral triangle. 

b. Draw together the fingers and thumb, beginning at the tips. Let this 
exercise and the last, together occupy two or three minutes if possible. 

2. a. Let hand drop back as far as possible — push it forward, expanding 
at same time, feeling the impulse start at the palm — be sure that thumb is oppo- 
site middle finger when expanded. Keep forearm still. 

b. Repeat this movement, combining it with forearm movement. Begin 
by drawing up the forearm close against the upper arm with hand pendent. 

3. a. L. a. up in front, hand pendent, at first — put will in hand aud raise 
it so that it is on a line with the arm — expand, (palm down.) Blend the separate 
movements to avoid "jerks." 

b. Repeat exercise, with the hand edgewise, (palm turned in,) — with arm 
and hand at different heights and in different directions. 

4. a. L. a. up in front, hand pendent— raise hand even with arm — turn 
hand — expand, b. Repeat as in last exercise. 

5. After practicing the above exercises separately, and dropping the arm after 
each movement, then blend them all together, remembering always in changing, to 
use the middle finger as a pivot. 

6. Exercises for modulation of texture of the hand. For purpose of con- 
venience, rather than because of significance, we designate these different move- 
ments, as follows: Define — indicate — mould — detect — inquire — acquire — hold — 
surrender — conceal— reveal— support — protest — affirm— deny— caress— assail. 

Exercise 4. 

Elemental actions of feet and lower limbs. 1. Feet together, wt. over 
both. 2. Feet wide apart, wt. over both. 3. One foot directly in front of other, 
a little distance apart, wt. over both. 4 Wt. over back foot, other at side, slight" 
ly in advance, knee relaxed. 5. Wt. over back foot, other foot forward, knees 
straight. 6. Wt. over back foot, back knee bent, other foot forward, knee 
straight. 7. Change wt. in last position, by straightening the knees and letting 
wt. be over both feet. 8. Bring wt. to forw. foot, slightly bending back knee. 
9. Wt. on forw. foot, bend forw. knee, back knee straight. 

Practice until you can move smoothly from one position to another. 
Exercise 5. 

Elemental movements combined. 



i6 

In combined elemental movements, the separate movements must begin 
and end together. 

i. Arm up and down — head bowed and lifted. 2. Hand pivot to right- 
Head pivot to left. 3. Head bowed and lifted — foot forw. and back, (knee 
straight.) 4. Head bowed — arm up — foot back. Bring foot forw. while head 
lifts and arm goes down. 

Exercises to develop a Correct Walk. 

1. Imagine yourself suspended from chest. 2. Practice all the poising and 
relaxing exercises. 3. Place lied and ball of foot on floor at same time, swinging 
limb forw. from hip. Heels should be on the same straight line, toes turned out 
at an angle of about forty -five degrees. It is good practice to walk, placing heels 
on a tape or chalk line, a seam in carpet, or crack in floor. 

The knees should be bent as little as possible, as the main effort should 
come from the hip, which should move freely. 

A former exercise, described under poising movements, of tapping the 
floor with the toe in various directions, is excellent practice for freedom of hip 
in walk. 

Elasticity of Walk is best developed, by alternately hopping three times 
on each foot, and swinging free foot like a pendulum from hip, knee straight. 
When correctly done the feet will come down alternately on same spot. 

Various hopping, skipping and dancing steps assist in the development of 
grace and elasticity. 

Turning about in a walk should be done by putting wt. on forw. foot, and 
with both heels raised whirl about toward back foot and immediately take step 
with foot that was forward. 

Change of Attention when standing. 

Stand in Harmonic Poise. If you turn in direction of "strong" foot, ob- 
serve the following order : Eye— head— pivot free foot— wt. change— pivot other 
foot. In direction of free foot : Eye — head— change free foot — wt. change. 

In rising, sitting, and remaining seated correctly, you should observe the 
conditions of "poise " in standing — chest up— no collapse at waist— lower end of 
spine supported. 

1. When you are about to rise, place one foot in advance of the other- 
bend head and trunk slightly forw. and push the body up by the balls of the feet. 
2. When about to sit, slightly "bow" into the seat. 3. As an exercise, poise 
body in a circle while sitting. 



17 
A Delsarte Drill. 

A "Delsarte Drill" as given at the Normal School, is merely a connected ar 
rangement of the exercises which have already been described separately. It does 
not consist of " posing " in different attitudes expressive of various emotions, 
for the purpose of effect and for the mere sake of "looking pretty." Such kind 
of Delsarte work has a tendency to produce affectation. 

The chief value of the Drill here described consists in the slow and ryth- 
mical gliding from one movement to another, and the perfect blending of the 
different exercises. 

The effect produced by such a drill is the ability to move about easily, 
gracefully and without attracting attention. 

The movements are not intended as gestures and there should be no at- 
tempt to force expression into the face and motions. 

The drill is simply physical training. 

I 
Poising and Bending. 

i. Either one, two or three bows— end on r. f. 2. Poise r. to 1.— 1. to r.— 
(4 measures waltz time each way)— repeat— 1. f. forw. diag. 3. Body forw. to 1.— 
up— down— back— bend back knee— up— lift 1. f. and place " back of itself" leav- 
ing r. f. forw. diag. (This last movement occurs constantly in the drill when 
changing from 1. to r. side in diag. positions.) 4. Body forw. to r.— kneel— up- 
back— place r. f. back even with 1. and place 1. f. forw. diag. ready for next move- 
ment. (This change also constantly takes place in drill.) 5. R. h. on hip- 
bend body diag. to 1., head leading, arm dangling— up— bend back— up, changing 
hand and feet. 6. Repeat on r. side. 7. Rocking movement on both sides. 
Use hands in different positions at pleasure. 8. L. f. forw.— arms extended 
forw.— kneel— hands on knees. 9. "Salaam." 

II 
Side Bending. 

1. Wt. on r.— bend to 1.— repeat on r. side and with "arm balancing." 
2. L. f. forw. diag.— r. arm and hand "droop" over head, 1. hand resting on hip, 
—repeat on r. side. 3. Both hands over head— bend to sides. 

Ill 
Arm Movements. 

1. L. a. forw. diag.— body forw.— 1. a. slowly up and down, r. a. extended 
to rear. 2. Change wt.— r. a. up— wrist come back to ear— push up and out— 



lb 1 

turn— draw into ear— out to side— down. 3. Both arms to side each way, rising 
on toes. 4. Rise on 1. f. very high, droop 1. h. over head — look over r. shoulder 
with r. hand on hip— repeat on other side. 5. Arms diag. extended, movements 
combined with Rocking Movements. 6. Arm movement from shoulder com- 
bined with Rocking movement. 7. Indian Club movements. 8. L. f. forw. diag. 
—1. h. up in front of forehead. 9. R. a. same— kneel. 10. L. f. forw., knee 
slightly bent — arms forw. 11. End with "wave." 

Music with *' waltz" time is necessary. "Back to the Mountains," and 
"Ah I have Sighed to Rest Me," from II Trovatore, is excellent music for the 
purpose. 

Faults to be Avoided. 

1. Hips and abdomen too far forward. 2. Head forward. 3. Chest nar- 
row. 4. Shoulders round. 5. Back round. 6. Sag at hips, one higher than 
other. 7. Arms stiff. 8. Walk on heels. Q. Feet too far apart in walking. 
10. Tendency to "toe in." 11. Head moving forward and back in walking. 
12. Hands and fingers stiff. 13. A back curved in at waist, (not produced by 
hips forward.) 14. Knees bent too much in walk. 15. Head stiff. 16. Feather 
movements stiff. 



VOCAL TRAINING 



The human voice, well used, is a power to move men ; nothing in art nor 
in man's knowledge can express more. 

To free the voice from offensive faults is a moral duty ; to beautify the voice is an 
(esthetic duty. 

Gladstone said: "The professions are crowded full to the top and over- 
flowing, and young men are being added to them in numbers that are amazing. 
Whatever their ability may be, ninety nine in every hundred will probably never 
rise above mediocrity. Why '? Because in professions which require a trained voice 
the training of the voice is entirely neglected, and considered a matter of no impor- 
tance. It may be safely said that no orator in England in the last one hundred 
years has achieved greatness as a speaker, without first devoting a certain period of 
his life to cultivating the vocal powers." 

Disraeli, (Lord Beaconsfield), when Premier of England, in an address to 
law students, said: "When a young man, I paid no attention to voice training, 
because I considered nature superior to the art of elocution and oratory ; but 
when I came to speak, I found / had thoughts and feelings, but I lacked the variety of 
voice to give them expression. I hastened to procure a teacher of voice and gesture, 
and I have learned to cherish this so-called Art. It opened to me the gateway of 
success. 

Many a young man has entered a professional life, splendidly educated in 
every respect but this, and lived and died almost unknown, who might have 
made himself famous, had he taken pains to find out what a powerful weapon the 
trained human voice may become." 

Henry Ward Beecher, the greatest orator of the American pulpit, in a lec- 
ture to the Yale students said: "If you desire to have your voice at its best and 
to make the best use of it, you must go into a drill which will become so familiar 
that it ceases to be a matter of thought, and the voice takes care of itself. This ought to be 
done under the best instructors. " 



There are many poems and pieces of tine prose, the real spirit of which 
the writer cannot express by mere words and it is here that the elocutionist finds 
his province. Longfellow touches the point when he says, 



"Lend to the rhyme of the poet, 
The beautv of thv voice" 



The tones of the speaking voice, when in a normal condition, are musical, 
and capable, by their "tone-color" and force, of expressing various emotions, 
the same as the singing voice or any musical instrument. The reader may, there- 
fore, by his tones, express the spirit which the words alone can only faintly suggest. 



The following exercises train the voice both for speaking and singing, the 
same fundamental work being necessary in either case. They are based on the 
principles of voice training as taught by the leading vocal teachers in this 
country and in Europe. 



PROGRAM OF EXERCISES. 



I. 

Observation. 

Observe infants and animals breathe, and note what part of the body moves in 
the act of breathing 

(Get from, pupils result of observation before proceeding farther.) 

You find that the movement is at the centre of the body, that the waist moves 
forward and back. Does not the fact prove that this manner of breathing is natural ? 

If you find that you are not accustomed to breathe in the natural and 
correct way, and that there is more movement at the chest, sides, or abdomen, than at the 
waist in front, the first work in developing a good use of the voice is to acquire step 

II 
Correct Method of Breathing. (Diaphragmatic.) 

(Before giving the exercises, it is advisable that the teacher should recite or read a short selection 
illustrating the effect upon the voice of the correct and incorrect methods of breathing.) 

Exercise i. 

Press finger tips on waist in front, with air expelled from lungs, and head 
slightly bent forward— raise head and inhale at same time, letting the column of 
air, which comes in through the nostrils, seem to push the fingers forward. Allow 



3 

no upward heaving of the chest or shoulders. There will be a slight movement 
at the sides, abdomen and chest, but do not try to make these parts move, for, if you 
do, you are likely to exaggerate the movement, and the effect upon the voice is 
unnatural. 

It is hardly necessary to state that a eorreet method of breathing is impossible, 
when the clothing about the waist is too tight to allow an expansion of the museles. 

Exercise 2. 

If you find that by practicing Exercise 1 you are still unable to acquire a 
correct method of breathing, lie flat on the back, with the clothing loose, raise 
the arms above the head, inhaling at same time. Allow the air which goes into 
the lungs to appear to send the front of the waist upward. A very lightweight 
resting on the waist may assist you in centering the will upon the spot where 
the sensation of breathing should be. 

Exercise 3. 

Place palm of right hand on waist in front, and back of left hand on waist 
at back, — inhale, trying to send the hands apart. 

Exercise 4. 

Breathe simply with hand placed on waist in front and note result of fore- 
going exercises. 

The movements of the diaphragm and lungs in breathing can be well 
illustrated by the following simple device. 



The bottom of the bottle can be removed as follows- Dip a string in coal 
oil and tie it tightly around the lower edge of the bottle; set fire to the string, 
and plunge the bottle at once into cold water. A sheet of dentist's rubber is tied 
very tightly over the opening thus made. Through the cork a glass tube is 



passed. At the end of this is attached a toy balloon, or a little bag made of some 
expansive material fit for the purpose. Distend downward the rubber at the 
bottom by means of a button previously tied into the rubber, and you will see 
that the balloon at once expands. 

The rubber sheet corresponds to the diaphragm, the balloon to the lungs, 
and the glass tube to the wind-pipe or trachea. The less space there is between 
the expanded balloon and the sides of the bottle, the more nearly correct is the 
illustration. 

Caution. — In practicing the breathing exercises in this first step, be very 
careful not to force the muscles of the waist forward. Let the breath appear to push the 
muscles, and the breathing will then be easy and natural. 

II 
Relaxation of Jaw and Tongue. 



TWO WAYS OF OPENING THE MOUTH. 



As in eating'. As in speaking and singing. 

In the first way, the mouth is pushed open from the front, in the second, the 
jaw, as a whole, drops of its own weight. 

Exercise i. 

Place finger tips on the lower part of the jaw at each side, "take the will 
out" of the jaw and tongue, allowing the latter to lie perfectly flat and passive in 
the mouth. The jaw will drop of its own weight. 

Repeat this exercise without using fingers, hold a hand mirror in front of 
face, and see if tongue is relaxed and flat. The tongue should not be elevated at the 
back, as this prevents the tone from coming out full and clear. 



5 

Exercise 2. 

Shake top of head allowing lower jaw and tongue to be perfectly passive, 
and they will move of their own weight. 

Exercise 3. 

Repeat quickly, several times fa la fa la fa la, also, alpha, beta, gamma, delta. 
Open the mouth wide and relax the throat, making the texture of the muscles 
"soft as cotton." 

III. 

Simultaneous Action of Breathing Muscles and the Opening of the 

Back of the Throat. 



Exercise. 

With lips loosely closed, relax tongue and lower jaw, thus opening the 
back of the throat; at same time take a deep breath at the diaphragm. Practice 
until the two actions seem as one. 

This exercise helps to prevent "catching" of the breath and is sometimes 
called "preparatory action for speech." 

IV. 
Control of Breath. 



This step, involving of course the previous steps, is the most important in 
all voice training. 

A mastering of this step gives volume, strength, power, richness, mellowness, soft- 
ness, clearness, delicacy and purity to the tone. It corrects audible breathing when 
inhaling and exhaling, "eatching" of the breath, unsteadiness of tone, "dropping" of 
the voice at the end of a line or indistinctness of last word,minor inflections or "whine" 
in the voice (incorrectly used by many elocutionists to express pathos), and, in 
short, it is a remedy for nearly all faults of voice. 

Control of breath and an open throat, help more than anything else in 
producing good articulation, although special articulation exercises will be described 
later. 

The ability to fill a large hall with one's voice, depends almost entirely upon 
control of breath. If a person perfectly controls his breath at the diaphragm, articulates 
distinctly, and "aims" his voice toward the people in the rear of the hall, he will 
have very little difficulty in making himself heard. 



The control of breath at the diaphragm has a most quieting effect upon the 
nerves. If you feel very nervous, breathe deeply, fixing the will on the centre of 
the body, relax your arms, and note the effect. Nothing in the way of physical 
exercise so quickly restores self-possession as the above. 

Exercise i. 

Inhale deeply; let breath escape in a little hiss or whistle, very slowly and 
evenly. The object of the exercise is to give one the power to let out the breath 
gradually an d without ' 'jerks. ' ' 

Exercise 2. 

a.— Chant on one key. "Keep the breath under the voice, a ! " Although 

the breath in reality goes out all the time, we should have the sensation of keep- 
ing it in. 

b. — Chant other sentences, and lines of poetry, on same principle. 

N. B. — This idea of keeping the breath baek or "under the voice." is one of the 
most valuable in voice training, as it prevents a waste of breath. All the breath given out 
should be used up in making tone, and none should escape beside. 

As a test of ability to prevent breath from wasting take the following, 

Exercise 3. 

Hold a flame in front of mouth and practice above exercises, letting no 
breath escape except what is made into tone. The flame should not flicker. Use 
hand in place of flame and try to feel no puff of air upon the hand while making 
tone or speaking. 

Exercise 4. 

Chant several stanzas of poetry on one breath. ("The Brook.") 



Cautions. — Never hold the breath quite as long as you can, as this practice tires the 
muscles and weakens the lungs. 

Never "beat" the chest in a breathing exercise. 



v. 

Agility of Diaphragm and Forward Placing of Tone. 



Exercise. 

Inhale deeply, relaxing the throat; place lips together as if about to say 
the word "me," control breath, move diaphragm quickly, making tone at lips in 
a "staccato" manner. Be sure that the tone does not start from the throat nor in the 
nose, and that all the effort is made at the diaphragm. 

VI. 
Tone Practice. 



After mastering the foregoing steps, our next work is to improve still 
further the quality of the voice by practicing different sounds, paying particular 
attention to the fact that the throat must not be used in mailing tone. 

Exercise i. 

Inhale deeply, relaxing the jaw and opening the back of throat, place lips 
together as if about to say the word me, prolong the sound of "m," making a 
humming tone entirely at the lips. Allow not the slightest throat action, such as a 
"drag," "push" or "click" at the beginning. 

Be sure, in this exercise, and in all the following ones, that the breath 
is held back. Long and patient practice is necessary to the mastering of this exercise. 

Exercise 2. 

Inhale deeply, relaxing throat and saying "m" as before, drop lower jaw 
and let sound come forward. The sound will be a; think, however, of trying to 
say "m" all the time, and the tone will be more likely to be placed forward 
properly. 

Repeat this exercise on different keys. 

As an aid in producing the correct tone, drop the jaw so that the mouth is 
open widely, elevate slightly the front of the tongue, by pressing lightly the tip 
of the tongue against the lower teeth, let the front relax forward, and by this 
means the back of the tongue has a tendency to lie flat and relaxed, a condition 
absolutely necessary to a round full tone. 



Exercise 3. 

Begin as in Exercise 1; change position of lips so as to form the vowels e, 
a, ii, o, 00. Keep in mind always that the sounds must be just as far forward in 
the mouth as possible. 

The practice of step VI helps to produce resonance in the voice. 

VII. 
Relaxation of Diaphragm After Tone. 



In practicing the foregoing exercises, there is danger of stiffening the 
diaphragm in the effort to control the breath. The following exercise will tend 
to counteract this fault. 

Exercise 1. 

Practice exercises under Step VI, and as soon as each tone is finished, 
simply relax the waist muscles, — "take the will out," in other words, — rather than 
deliberately drawing them in. 

Exercise 2. 

Practice same exercise, prefacing each prolonged tone by three short 
"staccato" tones of the same kind, relaxing the diaphragm between each one 
and taking new breath. 

The mastery of this step, enables one to speak for a long time without 
tiring. 



VIII. 
Articulation. 

Control of Breath, an open throat, and forward placing of tone, help more 
than any other exercise in producing good articulation. Practice upon the fol- 
lowing table, however, is a valuable additional aid. 



Table of English Sounds based on Bell's System of "Visible Speech," with Diacritical Marks 
according to Webster's Dictionary. 

VOWELS. 



LIPS ROUND. 

66 as in pool. 



LIPS OPEN. 



LIPS OPEN. i FRONT OF TONGUE. 





' move. 














1 u " ' 


1 rule. 












| u " ' 


1 put. 


io 


as 


in 


nation. 


e as in the before 
a consonant. 


i ° " ' 


4 wolf. 












1 

! 66 " ' 


' wool. 












I 6 « ' 


ode. 


r« 


as 


in 


sun. 




' ore. 


lo 


u 


" 


son. 




{ : : : 

1 o 


all. 
4 or. 


a 


as 


in 


ask. 

class. 

past. 


( the article a 
a as m{ 

(ago 


I 5 "' 

la"' 


' on. 








arm. 




' wander. 








half. 




e as in fern 






a 


as 


in 


laugh. 

aunt. 


' 


i " " sir. 
u " " urge. 



[ ee as in peel. 

J ie " " piece. 

I ea " " mean. 

( i u " ill. 

I y " " sylvan. 



ale. 



care. 



tell. 



11 and. 



Combinations i = a and y glide, 
ow = a and w glide, 
u = v and oo. 



1 1 



C O IN SO IM A IN TS. 



BACK OF TONGUE, j 

r k - as in kite. | 
< c (hard) " cat. ' 
[g (voiced) " go. 



ng (through nose) 
as in ring. 



TOP OF TONGUE. 



POINT OF TONGUE. I 



LIPS. 



ft 8 



as in to. f p as in pound, 

(voiced) as I b (voiced) as 

in dog. 1 in bound. 



{h as 
y (voi< 



n (through nose) 
i as in hue. as in no - 

voiced) as 

in yes. r (turned back) 
as in rat. 
fsh as in shun 
\ sh (voiced) like zh j (divided) 

as in love. 



m [through nose] 
as in mound. 



( as si in illusion. 



| s (just above up 



I fwh 

> I r. 



x t as in what. 
per teeth, as 1 [voiced] as 
m sound. 



Combinations 



I c (soft) as in nice 
Is (z) as in rose. 

th as in thin. 

th as in then. 

ch = tsh x as in axe = ks. 

g [soft] [j] = dzh x as in exist = gz. 
qu k\v. 



in were. 



{f as in far. 
v [voiced] as 
in view 



12 

Exercise i. 

Practice on each vowel sound separately, observing conditions of previous steps. 

Exercise 2. 

Practice same, giving each consonant sound in succession before each vowel, 
as, koo, goo, ra, ree, etc 

Observe the principle of keeping the breath back, not allowing any superfluous 
breath to escape, and you will be surprised to see what an effect this has in mak- 
ing the consonants ••clean-cut" and distinct. 

Another aid in producing the right effect, is the making of the vowel sound 
in your mind before pronouncing the consonant with it, then with the mind in- 
tent on the vowel, "slip" before it, as it were, the consonant sound. For example 
think "a," but say "ba." 

Notice the resemblance between the different vowels, also between the 
consonants, by consulting the tables. 

Exercise 3. 

Practice same, sounding each consonant after each vowel, letting the jaw- 
drop or recoil after pronouncing the consonant sound, as 00k, ak, ig, eel, etc Be 
sure not to waste breath. 

Exercise 4. 

Pronounce the following words observing conditions mentioned above ; 
and, an, dust, ducat, effort, draft, command, asp, almost, past, art, tact, mast, 
laugh, half, class, hum, Kate, attack, but, map, man, mark, beck, call, cull, on, 
still stand, send, pin, limb, cling, jug, glide, fond, ring, sick, part, sing, buzz. 

Exercise 5. 

Repeat clearly: 

1. ma, za, ska, a— ba, va, da, la, ga. 

2. ba, tha, da, mil, sa — pii, fa, ta, la, ka. 

3- da, ma, nee, po, too, lii, ba. (Very quickly.) 

4. fa, la, fa, la, etc. (In quick succession.) 

5. Alpha, beta, gamma, delta. (In quick succession several times.) 

6. Buddy, diddy, da. (Several times quickly.) 

7. Be, de, de, da. (Several times quickly.) 

8. Ka, ka, kee— la, la, lee, 16, 166. 

9. Use other consonants in same way as in 8. (Use variety of rhythm.) 
In each of the foregoing exercises be sure to use only those parts of the vocal 



mechanism that are necessary. For example, if you say ta, ta, tee, or a, a, c; let the 
lips be perfectly immovable while the tip of the tongue is active. 
Exercise 6. 

Difficult combinations. 

i.— Acts, facts, lists, ghosts, depths, drop'st, adopts, fifths, laughs, hook'st 
desks, sit'st, help'st, twelfths, thefts, milkst, hundredths, touched, act'st, helms- 
man. 

2-— She sells sea-shells. (Repeat several times quickly.) Six thick thistle 
sticks. 

3. — Put the cut pumpkin in the pipkin. Keep the tippet ticket. 
4.— The bleak breeze blighted the bright blossoms. 
5. — Dick dipped the ticket and dripped it. 
6. -Some shun sunshine. (Repeat several times quickly) 
7. — Thrice the shrew, threw the shoe. 
8. — A rural ruler, truly rural. 
9.— Amid'st the mists, with angry boasts 
He thrusts his fists against the posts, 
And still insists he sees the ghosts. 
10.— Around the rugged rocks, the ragged rascal ran. 

11.— Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If Peter Piper picked a 
peek of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Pepper pick ? 

12— Theophilus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve full of 
unsifted thistles, thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb 
Now if Theophilus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve full of 
unsifted thistles, thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb 
see that thou, in sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistles, thrust not three thousand 
thistles through the thick of thy thumb. 

IX. 
Chanting. 



Chanting exercises are exceedingly useful. They test control of breath, 
and aid in the development of good articulation. 

Exercise 1. 

Take a deep breath and chant 

I come from haunts of coot and hern, 

I make a sudden sally, 
And sparkle out among the fern, 
To bicker down a valley. 



u 

By thirty hills, I hurry down 

Or slip between the ridges, 
By thirty thorpes, a little town, 

And half a hundred bridges. 

From "The Brook," by Tennyson. 

"Stabat Mater, Dolorosa;" (chant several times in succession, dwelling on 
the last syllable of "Dolorosa.") 

"How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood, 
When fond recollections present them to view; 

The orchard, the meadow, the deep-tangled wild-wood, 
And every loved spot that my infancy knew.'' 

Chant the above selections, breathing as seldom as possible. 
Exercise 2. 

Chant same selections, relaxing breathing muscles at end of each line and 
taking new breath. 
Exercise 3. 

Chant other selections of your own choosing. 
Exercise 4. 

Chant, using different pitches for the different lines, using long and short 
breaths. 

X. 

Inflections. 



The following exercises will aid you much in producing definite and correct 
emphasis upon important words in reading. 

Exercise 1. 

Count according to the following : 



Rising Inflections. 



Falling Inflections. 



*5 
Circumflex Inflections 



Circumflex inflections should be sparingly used, as they often express 
superficiality. 

Notice that in giving falling inflections, the accented count is begun on a 
higher pitch than the one previous. 

Exercise 2. 

Ask pupil for different inflections. For example, "Give rising inflection 
on 1," etc. 

Exercise 3. 

Use single word, as "yes," "no," or "oh" and express different meanings 
by different inflections. 

Exercise 4. 

Practice same exercise, using a single sentence, and give different mean- 
ings by emphasizing various words in succession. For example, "Are you going 
in town to-day? Are you going in town to-day?" 

These exercises will tend to develop range of voice, and will help to relieve 
that most common of faults, monotony. 

XI. 

Agility of Voice. 



Agility of voice is the power of changing easily, smoothly and quickly from 
one pitch to another. 



In practicing the following exercises, keep the throat in the same condition 
(i. e. texture "soft as cotton") in singing the high as in singing the low notes. 

Get the throat in the correct position and keep it so. 

Use the various vowel and consonant sounds as given in previous voice 
exercises. 

Control the breath, open the throat make a mental picture of the tone 
and attack it, sending it forward to the front of the mouth. Do not "slide up" to 
the high notes, nor "swoop down'' upon the low ones. 



i6 



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XII. 
Gradation of Force. 



Exercise. 

Inhale deeply, control breath, begin the tone very softly, then by pressure 
at the waist make the tone grow louder and stronger. Gradually let it grow 
softer until it seems to fade away to nothing. 



In giving soft tones in speaking and singing you must keep a quantity of breath 

controlled, in order to support the tone and give it character. A soft tone should 

not. come from the chest. 

XIII. 

Range of Voice. 



If you find that you or your pupil talks or reads too much on the same 
pitch, take the following exercise. 

Sing " middle c," using syllable a, change it to speaking tone, gliding 

from one into the other. For example, "a O hark, O hear!" 

Repeat on each note of scale. 

XIV. 

Application of Foregoing Steps to Reading and Reciting. 



Refer to selections illustrating different emotions under "Mental Training." 
Read or recite them and notice if vocal conditions are correct. Add to these 
selections of your own. 



IS 



Suggestions for conducting the first of a Series of 
Reading Lessons. 

(FOR MIDDLE AND MORE ADVANCED GRADES.) 

I. Let teacher bring out the idea that the art of reading aloud consists of 
Impression and Expression, or Receiving and Giving. We receive an impression from 
the printed page, and give to others an expression of this impression. 

For young pupils, express this idea very simply. 

II. How shall we get correct impression of what we read ? 

First, let teacher show necessity of selecting literature containing thoughts 
worthy to give to others. This power to select good literature depends upon 
the cultivation of taste, and our minds and hearts need educating in order that we 
may distinguish between good and bad literature. 

Next, let teacher read aloud some good selection with mind inactive, in 
attentive, and lacking imagination, logic, and sympathy, and draw from the 
pupils the fact that, in order that the reading may be of any use, the mind and 
heart must be trained. 

III. How shall we give the correct expression of what we read? 

a. With head hung, shoulders stooping, chest hollow, body sagging at 
waist, and feet nearly together, read to the class some selection and then ask 
why the reading is not well done. 

Draw from pupils the fact, that, in order to read well, the body must be 
trained. 

b. With body in good condition, but with "catching" of breath, and voice 
throaty and hard, read with an unpleasant nasal tone, the same selection, and 
ask pupils why the reading is poor. 



Draw from pupils the fact, that, in order to read well, the voice must be 
trained 

IV. Each reading lesson, therefore, may he divided into three parts, viz : 

Mental or Soul Training, 
Physical or Body Training, 
Vocal Training. 
Consult notes as given under these different heads. 

V. The reading hooks used in the Normal School are Irvine/ s Sketch Boo/,:, 
for the first year. (12 c. edition, published by Effingham, Maynard & Co., N.Y.) 

Longfellow Leaflets, for the second year, (30 c. edition, published by Hough- 
ton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. ) 

Shakespeare? s Merchant of Venice, for the third year, (40 c. Hudson edition 
published by Ginn & Co., Boston.) 



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